The Real P2's

[Locoman69]

As a relative newcomer to LNER I have noticed a considerable interest in the naming of the new P2, (original Gresley 2-8-2 express engine), so, as a matter of interest I can claim to have fired several of these Gresley locomotives, albeit as the Thompson 4-6-2 rebuilds. Although I can’t imagine there are many footplate men left today who could claim to have fired or driven the originals pre-war before Thompson decided to rebuild them in the 40’s.

Several of theses locomotives were shedded at New England in the 50’s period, during my firing career there, all for express main line workings. 60501 Cock o’ the North – 60504 Mons Meg – 60505 Thane of Fife and 60506 Wolf of Badenoch. Also included were Thompson built 60513 Dante and 60514 Chamossaire. I regret to say that, in my opinion, all the above bore no comparison to Gresley’s A3 and A4’s, and Peppercorns superb A1’s. This was also the opinion of many of the older men who had fired and driven these engines when these classes were shedded at New England in the late 30’s.

Following rail nationalisation after the war the rail unions decided to ban the outmoded method of ‘lodging’ (sleeping overnight at the away depot) but due to several long distance non-stop running expresses, several Kings Cross and Newcastle men volunteered to work these trains by lodging overnight. In doing so they were rewarded with very high mileage payments. Normally a normal day’s working mileage, at that time, was 140 miles. Any mileage over that distance was paid at one hours pay for every additional 15 miles worked. (This works out, on these runs, at 10 hours overtime every day, plus a lodging allowance was paid as well. Considering that the run only took four hours, it was quite a nice little ‘earner’!!). As can be well imagined, ‘lodge link’ men were not very popular. More so with New England - Grantham and Doncaster men who lost all there best locomotives to both these depots.

Another real bone of contention was that ‘lodge link’ men also worked other express long distance workings. One of these was a late evening mail train from Newcastle to Kings Cross stopping at all the main line principal stations. On arrival at Peterborough, around 2am, the train would stop for about 20 minutes so that quite a considerable amount of newspapers/mail etc could loaded/offloaded etc. By now the coal would be getting quite low and settled in the rear of the tender, so the engine crew would request ‘train control’ for a New England crew meet the train and shovel coal forward, while the engine crew sat and watched. I can assure you; very few words were passed between.

However I digress, back to the ‘P2 rebuilds and Thompson’s A2’s. The P2’s were quite ugly machines with a large empty space behind the front bogey, due to withdrawing one pair of driving wheels and setting the main cylinders back to convert to 4-6-2. The grace and style of Gresley’s original design was really compromised, plus, although good steaming engines, they didn’t have the quality of ride of the A3 and A4’s. The same could be said for the Thompson A2’s.

Having said all this I must say that Thompson believed in crew comfort and modern footplate design, even electric headlights and electric lights in the cab, previously unheard of. Unfortunately maintenance crews in those days were not electrical fitter trained and the electric systems soon fell into poor repair and eventual disuse. The provision of proper padded bucket seats and close fitting windows to cut out the ever flowing drafts also made for greater comforts, plus for the driver, all his controls were in reach and at hand. I must admit that the later designed Gresley locomotives were the forerunners of these types of footplate layouts.

It must be said though that footplate comfort was the last thing on original locomotive designers plans and most of the older engines were exceedingly uncomfortable, with either a wooden bench to sit on, set at a queer angle to look forward, or simply provided with a small wooden seat and wide open cabs, open to the elements. Having looked into the cab of practically all Great Western express engines, footplate crew facilities were really basic in comparison to later LNER and other railway company designs. However GWR engines had by far other greater qualities, my one regret is not ever having the chance to fire or ride on one.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I only ever worked one lodging turn, and that was within a week of ECS night turns so I never really noticed the extra money, but we did notice it when we had a week of double Cambridge Buffet turns, very handy
manna